Chapter 4
Breaking Point
Pulling off an overtake in Monaco seemed easier than hiding a marriage proposal from the woman who literally built winning strategies for a living.
I was losing my mind because Maxine noticed everything.
Every pause.
Every look.
Every slightest change in behavior—and I was failing miserably at acting normal.
The problem was I’d never had to hide anything from her before.
Our relationship had always been too intense for games. We said everything. Fought when necessary. Made up and fit back together.
But now I needed to lie—not because of something bad or lack of love.
Because of too much of it. And that was destroying me.
“You look like a criminal trying to hide a body,” Sebastian commented while watching me pace back and forth in the empty garage.
“Maybe I am burying one.”
He laughed.
Idiot.
“Relax, Romeo. She won’t find out.”
I shot him a death glare.
“She’s already suspicious.”
“Maxine was born suspicious.”
“Doesn’t help.”
Sebastian laughed again and took a sip of coffee.
“You just need to survive a few more days.”
A few more days.
Felt like years.
Because Max was different.
Quieter. More observant. And worse—more distant.
She still slept with me. Still kissed me. Still hugged me automatically whenever I walked past.
But there was something in her eyes now.
Insecurity—that was killing me. Maxine Webster had never been insecure about anything, much less about us.
That night I got home late again.
I’d spent hours with Charlotte going over dinner details, listening to Logan complain that I was “too emotional,” and arguing with my mother about flowers.
Flowers.
I was actually arguing about flowers. Sebastian would never let me forget this. When I opened the apartment door, I found silence.
The living room lights were off, but a dim lamp cast a faint glow over the kitchen—and there was Maxine, sitting on the counter with a glass of wine in her hand, watching me.
My stomach dropped.
“Hi, beautiful.”
She didn’t respond to the pet name.
Shit.
I took off my jacket slowly.
“You’re still awake?”
“I was waiting for you.”
Her tone was calm.
Too calm.
And I knew Maxine well enough to know that was dangerous.
I approached slowly.
“Did something happen?”
She let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Funny you should ask that.”
I closed my eyes for a second.
Fuck.
“Max—”
“No. Today you’re going to listen to me.”
She slid off the counter and set the glass in the sink with carefully controlled force.
“I’ve been trying to understand what’s going on for days, Adrien.”
“Nothing’s going on.”
She laughed again.
But this time without any humor.
“Stop lying to me.”
My chest tightened instantly.
“I’m not lying.”
“Then explain.”
Silence.
Because I couldn’t.
Not yet—and apparently that was exactly the wrong answer.
Her eyes hardened immediately.
“Unbelievable,” she murmured. “You’re really not going to tell me.”
“Max, I just need—”
“Space? Time? Distance?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
She looked hurt.
Really hurt.
And that was starting to make me desperate.
“You’ve been distant for weeks,” she continued. “Always hiding your phone. Going out without explaining anything. Disappearing for hours. Acting like you’re somewhere else all the time.”
“I’m here.”
“No, Adrien. You’re not.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest. I knew exactly why she felt that way—I was causing all of it myself.
I ran my hands through my hair, trying to stay calm.
“Babe, I’m trying to do something right.”
As soon as I said it, I realized the mistake. Because her eyes changed immediately.
Confusion and pain flickered across her face.
And then something worse.
“The right thing?”
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
I couldn’t answer, and the silence destroyed everything all over again.
Maxine looked away, taking a deep breath.
When she looked back at me, there was sadness in her eyes. It knocked the air out of me.
“I never asked you for anything impossible,” she said quietly. “Never demanded time. Never demanded attention beyond what you could give. I understand the sport. I understand pressure. I understand routine.”
She crossed her arms as if trying to protect herself.
“But this? This doesn’t feel like work pressure.”
My heart started skipping beats.
“Max—”
“You know what the worst part is?”
Her voice cracked, barely noticeable.
And I felt the ground drop out from under me.
“It’s that I really thought I was safe with you.”
That destroyed me instantly.
I stepped toward her right away.
“Hey. Don’t do that.”
She took a step back before I could touch her—that small distance felt like physical violence.
“Then tell me the truth.”
I wanted to.
God, I wanted to.
I wanted to kneel right there in the middle of the kitchen and end this whole mess.
But not like this.
Not in the middle of an argument.
Not while she was crying because of me.
Because Maxine rarely cried, and right now her eyes were glistening.
Because of me.
“I can’t tell you right now,” I said honestly.
It was worse.
Much worse.
She let out a shaky breath and nodded slowly, as if something was finally clicking into place.
Then came the question.
Low.
Almost whispered.
But brutal.
“Is there someone else?”
My world stopped.
“What?”
She looked away for the first time.
“You’re distant. You hide things. You smile at your phone. You disappear all day. Sometimes you can barely even look at me…” She took a deep breath. “So answer me, Adrien.”
My chest tightened so hard it actually hurt. In that instant, I realized I had truly hurt her.
And the idea of Maxine thinking I could want anyone else made me feel like the worst man in the world.
I moved closer slowly.
This time she didn’t pull back.
I cupped her face in my hands, carefully.
Almost desperately.
“Look at me.”
She hesitated.
But she looked.
And when our eyes met, I spoke with every ounce of honesty I had:
“There is no one else in the world for me but you.”
Her expression wavered.
Pain mixed with relief.
“Then why does it feel like I’m losing you?”
I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes.
“You’ll never lose me, Max.”
I loved this woman more than anything in my life. And I needed to ask Maxine Webster to marry me before my attempt at a surprise destroyed us both.